But for series veterans who want to drill down to the bottom, upgrading weapons by slogging through 100-level grinds in the item world, balancing Evilties, managing clubs and alliances to create a squadron that is literally the gigantic sum of its creator's decisions, a blanket recommendation is harder to make.

Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice pours a tasty offering of addictive gaming cool-aid to its cult of followers. Making the shift to the next generation Nippon Ichi has given more of its heart than ever before.

I still recommend newcomers start with the original or its PSP remake for the amazing story, but I'd by lying through my teeth if I said I'm not enjoying the hell out of my time with Disgaea 3. [Sept 2008, p.83]

Bottom line: If you’re looking for deeper, goofier, more obsessive, more fan-service-oriented, more grind-those-characters-up, Japanese-wonkoid strategy than this, then you are up Shitake Creek without so much as a broken oar… and you are also one scary, scary otaku.

If you've never played a Disgaea title before, then head out and grab Disgaea 3. For veterans of the series... yeah, it's more of the same, but with this franchise, when has that ever been a bad thing?

Though Disgaea 3 certainly lacks in presentational value, it impresses where it needs to with a lengthy main quest and potentially hundreds of hours of end game content to please the most hardcore of Disgaea fans.

Every quality the game has ever displayed since its 2004 debut is matched or surpassed in this, the culmination of Nippon Ichi’s creative vision and talent and doubtless the best Disgaea yet. [Mar 2009, p.108]

Though Disgaea 3 comes with a steep learning curve, there's so much depth to the game, both apparent and hidden, that you could literally spend thousands of hours with it. It's a niche experience, but one that's exactly what its target audience is looking for.

Overall Disgaea 3 is a good solid SRPG, and just like the other Disgaea titles, the fun really comes from playing the game itself. Players will find themselves wanting to play just to level up characters.

Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice is a very decent RPG for everyone with a shitload of time on his hands. The deep and tactical turnbased gameplay can give players up to a hundred hours of strategic battles and bizarre humor. The only major downfall is the graphical quality, or lack thereof. Though Disgaea 3 doesn’t offer completely new content, it is definitely worth your time.

If you're a Disgaea junkie, having enjoyed the previous installments in the series, you will love this game. For the enthusiasts there are hundreds of hours of quirky strategy to be found and enjoyed here. There are few new features to be found though and the game camera is far from perfect. More of the same is the keyword here.

Justice is not the only thing that's absent from Disgaea 3, we also have a poor graphic engine that works perfectly combined with a gameplay style that offers hundreds of items, characters and options for their use in combat. It's a nice game, but it's a shame that Nippon Ichi didn't realize soon enough that this engine is not worth enough for the PS3.

Disgaea lovers will like this third chapter in the series, however casual players will hardly be charmed by a product which offers on PlayStation 3 almost the same gameplay and visuals the prequels delivered on PlayStation 2. Disgaea 3 is a good product overall: the deep gameplay and bizarre plot are its strongest points and as such every fan of strategy games should give it a chance.

Disgaea 3 is probably the most hardcore and uncompromisingly complex tactical RPG you’re likely to play. If you’re familiar with the genre then it comes highly recommended – if not, then try Valkyria Chronicles first.

Disgaea 3 is a weird, twisted and enormously fun game. It brings back the lost genre of strategic role-playing with a huge portion of japanophilia, which is also the main reason why it's not suitable for all players. It's an awesome combination though, if you're a Japan buff with an urge for 2D-sprites and lots of laughs.

For those who love Disgaea, Disgaea 3 is a welcome addition to the series. With a hilarious, upside-down storyline and the battle system's tricks still intact, there's no reason for these fans not to play Disgaea 3.

Disgaea 3 has an unique wacky-style that make the game a must-try. Orchestral music is simply wonderful and the power-up system works well. Perhaps, there are serious problem that waste the experience: controls aren’t intuitive and the graphics are reminiscent of PS2 titles... If developer had used real HD sprites and implemented better controls, this game would be a real Killer Application.

Disgaea 3 is a fantastic addition to both the PS3’s consistently improving catalogue and the strategy JRPG genre. With a lengthy story mode and a near enough endless number of abilities and characters to level up this game may just about take over your gaming life altogether.

Disgaea 3 is currently one of the greatest strategic RPG games, with a very fun story, a combat system which fans will love, and a more than exquisite gameplay. Not only that, the game is a very long and replayable one, above all for players which want to squeeze the 100% of it. Unfortunately, and this is one of the things that could undermine buyers -apart from the visuals-, Disgaea 3 is fully en English, and not exactly an easy one. It is a pity it has not been localized to Spanish at all.

The grind feels fresh and compelling, even if you know it isn't and really shouldn't. So much of what makes a game fun to play is "feel," and in Disgaea 3, Nippon Ichi has balanced the feel of the game's long and bewilderingly complicated grind into something that always feels satisfying, where you always feel like you're making progress.

I really did not enjoy this game, I guess I just don't like tactical RPG's or something, although I do enjoy RPG's in general I really did not enjoy this game, I guess I just don't like tactical RPG's or something, although I do enjoy RPG's in general and have played dozens over the years. This one rates pretty low. Also, the characters are incredibly annoying and the voice over work is suicide inducing.…Full Review »

anthonyc.

Sep 9, 2008

5

Very average game. The story just goes on for ages lucky you can skip it. It would be a good rpg for kids but its something better left on Very average game. The story just goes on for ages lucky you can skip it. It would be a good rpg for kids but its something better left on psp or DS it just doesnt transfer properly with the graphics over to ps3. I have it on psp and much rather it on the hand held unit. I think it should have been offered as downloadable content on psn for like $20 cause that is all i would pay for it i am trading it in luckily for another game this week.…Full Review »

Marvinarguis

Mar 3, 2009

10

Excellent installment to a classic cult series. Disgaea 3 is the best yet in my opinion, though the series is certainly not for everyone.